December Midnights

This is my December. I’m not being naive or overly optimistic. I have it on good authority that this year, I will meet my soulmate and fall madly in love. The matchmaker who raised me said that it’ll happen by this Winter’s Solstice. Merry Christmas to me, right?

Wrong.

Because the man who just slid into my kitchen at midnight, unarmed me with his charming smile, and lit me up while licking frosting from my fingers is the newest investor in The TimeKeeper Inn. Gray Turner, the disgraced professional baseball player, wants to renovate and take over the place I call home.

There’s no way that he could possibly be “the one,” even if I do happen to feel some kind of magic every time he’s near. I’ll ignore the fact that his gruff and stoic demeanor melts away only for me. I have to remind myself that I need to keep my heart open for my soulmate because Gray isn't staying. I want that forever kind of love. But what if forever isn’t part of our plan?

What if soulmate-level love is just for the holidays?

"Tash has always told me that midnights are for lovers. That break in time that turns night to day, giving love a fresh start. But I think maybe it’s just that it’s the darkest hour and you can see the brightness more clearly then.”